Advice needed please: xfx gtx260 xxx or ati 4870

[rapid64k]

Guys need some advice please i am 2 components short of completing my new build: asus 790i ultra e8500. i am about to buy a xfx gtx 260 xxx which is over clocked should i buy a 4870 instead? help me out guys just need a vid card and ram and im done.

[Yukon Trooper]

I'd say go with the HD4870 and drop the 790i mobo. Go with an Intel platform, which will cause you a lot less headaches. You'll be able to go Crossfire in the future as well, if you choose to do so.

[Heretic]

Another vote for the 4870.

[rapid64k]

i wont be dropping the 790i as its just a project that i aways wanted to build. but hey i'll may go with the 4870.

[xMrBunglex]

i'm pretty sure the 4870 is faster than a 260 in most apps and it costs quite a bit less. not a very hard decision. the only question is whether or not you seriously see yourself wanting SLI in the near future.

[Morais]

i wont be dropping the 790i as its just a project that i aways wanted to build. but hey i'll may go with the 4870.

This doesnt make any sense.Well anyway if you do not plan a multi-gpu get the 4870.otherwise go for 260

[Xphobe]

If you have a little bit of patience wait for the 4870x2. I am sure it will be well worth the wait, especially if you are only going to go with 1 card.

[xMrBunglex]

the premise behind this thread really bothers me. 790i is an extremely expensive chipset - and certainly not the best in the world from what i've read. the ONLY reason to buy a 790i is to run SLI. buying a $300 SLI motherboard and putting an ATI video card in it seems silly. if you don't plan on running SLI, Intel makes better chipsets. period.

[Yukon Trooper]

the premise behind this thread really bothers me. 790i is an extremely expensive chipset - and certainly not the best in the world from what i've read. the ONLY reason to buy a 790i is to run SLI. buying a $300 SLI motherboard and putting an ATI video card in it seems silly. if you don't plan on running SLI, Intel makes better chipsets. period.
Exactly. But he says that the 790i is "part of the project he's always wanted to build." I don't really understand that, considering that platform has only been out for one quarter. :shrug:

@ rapid64k - People around here generally go with an Intel platform, unless they are specifically looking to go to SLI. And most people around here really know their hardware.

[non]

there's no point buying 790i unless u plan to do SLI or have GX2. Besides it's a whole lot cheaper with intel chip, even if u plan to go CF in the future

[rapid64k]

in life its nice to have a change my brother is building a intel system so i said i'll go the 790i route? the striker is something i felt like building, next year it may well be an intel but to day i am building a 790i chipset pc. (and i have seen the 790i thread on this forums)
i was going to fit 2x 260 cards in there untill Ati changed the stakes so ok what do i do? the best choice seems to be the 4870x2.
not once have i said that no here does not know their hard ware.
thanks for the help.

[adamsleath]

blablabla; it does seem a waste of a 790i unless you go sli..but you can stick with a single card like 4870x2, or get
one 260 (or 280:shock:) and sli it later...
or whatever else tickles your fancy and consumes the money:rolleyes:

and then the stakes will change again sometime later:lol:

790i is an expensive motherboard, period.

[Serpentarius]

4870 .. besides SLi is way too expensive for especially for the limited 790i boards ..
the money u saved might get you a watercooling set or a better casing

[NKD]

honestly I went the way of nvidia chipsets when 680i launch, but had nightmare experience, and went back to intel, no one beats intel with stability when it comes to an intel cpu based system, they make kick ass board period, and I got a P5Q-E for 150, that probably uses quality parts unlike the 790i other than the heat pipes. by the way it is a waste to get a 790i board if you are not making a real highend rig, because the baord is 350+ tax. just because you have a 790i board I would tell you to buy a gtx 260, however I could not recommend it to anyone if they were building a brand new system. It is just me, I might have crap load of money but I can't justify shelling 300+ for a board, my current board OC's like a champ, e8400 at 4.2ghz, I am just limited by air cooling, thats it.

Go with a gtx 260 and may be go sli later if the prices drop, even though hd 4870 is a far better buy.

[biohead]

in life its nice to have a change

well then, change your opinion and choose an intel chipset.

[ToTTenTranz]

HD4870 and yes, 790i is silly to use with an ATI card.
Too much money thrown out to the garbage, since a $150-less P35 would do the exact same job.

[enteon]

theoretically, nvidia chipsets can manage crossfire.
amd want's them to.

[rapid64k]

lol you guys crack me up lol. ok its way to late to switch to an intel board as i have already brought the 790i so i have to keep it. i promise next time i will buy an intel platform.
but for now it is as it is! 4870 looks to be the headline in this thread at the monent. what would be nice is nvidia dropping the price of the 260 then i could buy two of them.

[nukec]

you just don't know what to do with your money,... thats it... you plan to buy 790i, because you don't want to have the same specs as your brother,.. you plan to buy new mobo next year, but you are willing to pay 300$+ for 790i this year.. gimme a break dude.. show some respect to cash and your parents that earned it(you'll probably say, you earned it yourself so it doesn't matter to argue with you).

[twwen2]

Just be careful running an ATi card on an nVidia mobo, they don't always play nice together. I'm running an HD3850 on nVidia 650i SLi chipset and i can't overclock the GPU a single MHz cos the drivers don't behave. I'm sure most people would have no issues, but i know i've read similar accounts elsewhere too.

The 4870 beats the 260 in most games, and almost catches the 280 (albiet in one or two games only). It is better value for money by a long shot (but you don't seem to care about value for money from what i've read so far). If you want to go SLi (which i presume you would - you seem like your trying to spend your dosh), then the choice is obvious.

[msgclb]

If you're going to spend about $350 for a 790i motherboard then your only choice is NVIDIA video cards. So then at a minimum you spend about $400 for a GTX 260 or go with an Intel chipset motherboard and the ATI 4870 at about $300.

If anybody is running a HD 4870 in a 790i motherboard then speak up!

[lohoutlaw]

Well it seems he already has the the 790i board guys!

If you plan on running SLI, then get the 260 card.
If it's a single card you want to run, then get the ATI. (bang for the buck)

[rapid64k]

Well it seems he already has the the 790i board guys!

If you plan on running SLI, then get the 260 card.
If it's a single card you want to run, then get the ATI. (bang for the buck)

its looking that way buddy.
As for perants cash lol i work for mine man dam hard too so io choose to spend hard.

[adamsleath]

Well it seems he already has the the 790i board guys!:ROTF:
hello, mcfly!?
anyways, as u already have the 790i mobo, which is as good as it gets for sli, you could plop in 2 x 8800gt's...costs peanuts right now....but a bit out of date
but i still think 1x gtx 260, then 2 in sli makes sense.

maybe the price will soften on gtx280 when 4870x2 arrives :shrug:

[rapid64k]

Thats what im now hoping Adamsleath.

[tiro_uspsss]

tho the 4870 is better, i vote the gtx260 so that down the track u can grab a second one & go SLi :up:

oh & rapid64k: good on ya for sticking to ya guns - :banana::banana::banana::banana: what ppl say - if u want 790i, then dam it thats what u gotta have! :D

[rapid64k]

tho the 4870 is better, i vote the gtx260 so that down the track u can grab a second one & go SLi :up:

oh & rapid64k: good on ya for sticking to ya guns - :banana::banana::banana::banana: what ppl say - if u want 790i, then dam it thats what u gotta have! :D

Thanks tiro_uspsss i was looking at the gtx 260 xxx which is the over clocked version of the gtx 260.:yepp:

[Omastar]

HD4870 is a better card, no contest, and about $100 cheaper (MSRP). But if you want 790i, it makes no sense to go with a single ATI card. Though, I still can't, in good faith, advise someone to buy a GTX260 and possibly add another one in for SLI when a BETTER card is out there, and can be Crossfired on any recent, performance Intel chipset.

[xMrBunglex]

how about we compromise. buy a 4870 and keep it for a year. Nvidia will probably have a great lineup with the next generation cards they release next year. then you can sell your 4870 and start living the SLI dream. the only problem here is that you picked a really bad time to go for an uber SLI build. it isn't your fault - nobody expected ATI to come out swinging as hard as they did with their 4K series cards. they're just too good and cheap to pass up.

[rapid64k]

sounds like a plan.

[RejZoR]

Take the HD4870. It's a no brainer. GTX 260 are good but AMD's offering is just better at the moment.

[Waxking1]

Here's a PNY GTX 260 for $329 after a $50 rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133229

I have a 790i system but I built another system because I was having so much trouble with the 790i.

It overclocks and runs fine except for an occasional freeze(BSOD) in games. This happens even when not overclocking, although I have an E8400 which clocks over 4GHz stable Prime95 on this board. I hope I will eventually solve this but I'm not counting on it.

I bought a P5E I am using with the 4870 and have it clocked on air a 3.4GHz rock solid stable(Q9450). My system specs below need updating.

[ToTTenTranz]

1 - Swallow your "my system mustn't be the same as my brother's" pride
2 - Sell the 790i
3 - Buy a P45
4 - Buy a HD4870 and another one with the money you saved from selling the 790i and not buying the GTX260.

[rapid64k]

if the 790i is such a bad board who would buy it? so it makes sense to power it up and see where i go from here right?
and we are talking xfx gtx 260 xxx which is an over clocked version of the gtx 260.

[Skratch]

Um have you considered 2 8800gt in sli? that will cost you 300 and will kill in bang for buck performance.

If you have hard moneu coming out of everywhere why not spend 420 on a 9800gx2 (389 after rebate)at newegg

that is the fastest card you can pretty much get right now and when that gets slow slap on another one and have quad gpu's

Put it this way,you bought a pos chipset,you will be pisssed on how crappy it over clocks and how picky it is.

I have 2 8800gts that I bought for my first gen striker and that chipset was a diaster,I got so fed up with it that I ditched it for an intel chipset even tho I already had 2 nividia cards,bsod every other day,freezing,one day overclock works the next it doesnt,cant get the fsb over 370....I will never buy an nvidia chipset again.

but since you already got it putting an ati card in there is a waste.

[Waxking1]

I don't think the 790i is a bad board. I think the problems with mine are most likely memory related. I have the OCZ 1600 DDR3 and a lot of other people have had problems with OCZ and the 790i. Go to the EVGA forums and check.

I will buy some different memory for my system once the price of DDR3 drops some more. I spent $300 plus on the OCZ and hate to drop another $300 plus and maybe still have problems. If you don't already have your memory, I would advise you to do some investigating first to see which works best with 790i.

[ToTTenTranz]

if the 790i is such a bad board who would buy it?

Don't worry, the world is filled with morons... or guys who'd actually want to do 2*GTX280 SLI.
You'll find a buyer for that 790i in no time.

[hurleybird]

Even throwing your 790i board in the trash, buying an Intel board and two 4870's will cost you less money (and get you better performance) than buying two GTX 260's for SLI. Either sell, give away, or find something wrong with board so you can return it and get the better setup.

[affiliate13]

I just read this, i dont know if you have bought the 4870 yet. Its a good card it seems and would be my choice but reading this might make a difference.

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8252&Itemid=1

If you cant change the board and are sticking with the 790i then SLI is what its made for.

[Yukon Trooper]

The upcoming price drops fail to address the 4850/4870. They're only to increase sales because of the weak GT200 market penetration. You'd need to triple those price drops to compete with the 4 series from a price/performance standpoint.

[C'DaleRider]

Personally, ebay the 790 board....you'll get most, if not all, of your money back out of it......buy a $150-$200 decent P35/x38 Intel-based board, use the excess cash to help buy a 4870. For what you could sell the 197 for, you could almost pay for the 4870 video card and a P35 motherboard with little out-of-pocket cash.

You'll end up much happier in the end with that scenario as ultimate stability does count for a lot.......

[adamsleath]

4000 series mania at the moment. i wonder when nv will turn the tables.
hey i had a striker extreme, which i ditched....(unfortunately for me i killed it's northbridge):doh:
but good riddance.
at least wait for nv's pricing drops b4 blowing your dough.
i'll go along with the concensus; get a good price for that mobo; it's the ants nuts of sli boards.

[perkam]

Buy a cheap (~$180) SLI mobo + E8500 + 2x9800GTX+ when they hit the stores.

2x9800GTX+ should cost about $450.

Perkam

[rapid64k]

Options options so many options. All good though.

[rapid64k]

Ok i have made my mind up. i'll hold off till the new HD4870x2 comes out this will force another price drop from Nvidia which will make it a buyers market.
I have also read that Nvidia will be releasing a 10.1 card now this is way out of order as Nvidai should of made the gtx 260 and the gtx 280 10.1 as we all know Ati have been supporting 10.1 for a while now while Nvidia said it was not important even forcing a 10.1 patch to remove it from Assassins Creed.
so it looks like later on in the year say the 4Q Nvidia will release a GDDR5.
even if i do not go for the HD4870x2 we should be seeing an overclocked version of the HD4870 as well.

[leo_bsb]

sorry to hijack your thread but guys, now the 4870 is the same price of 260GTX.
I have a P35 board so no crossfire or SLI for me.
What do you guys think is a better upgrade for me, the 4870 or the 260GTX? I know is the 4870X2 but I need to order something now that I have a friend in USA and will bring the card for me in Brazil, so I'll have a much better price comparing to what we have here.
Sorry, forgot to tell you, I game at 1680x1050

[leo_bsb]

oh, and the 280GTX is 499.00 before rebates. What a nice price drop after some competition.

[Waxking1]

MSI 260 GTX OC $260 after rebate.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008782&showP=1

[nemowish]

Hd 4870 for sure
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4870,1964.html

[rapid64k]

get the 4870 nvidia will be going directx 10.1 by the end of the year or by next year. so no point in buying a directx 10. card at this point but if you really must get a gtx260 wait till next week the price fall further.

[Source]

MSI 260 GTX OC $260 after rebate.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008782&showP=1It's still $299,- than.
Since his friend is temporary there and -correct me if i'm wrong- you need to live in the USA to apply for MIR.

[leo_bsb]

It's still $299,- than.
Since his friend is temporary there and -correct me if i'm wrong- you need to live in the USA to apply for MIR.

Sure, sometimes I send the rebate checks to friends ;)

[Eddie3dfx]

I thought the 260 killed the 4870 when both cards are overclocked. Since I would watercooled whatever card I purchase, this I assumed was the way to go.
I am in the same position now, as I have 2 8800 gt cards and my 680i just died.
I'm thinking of getting a 780i/790i chipset and then running 2 8800gt in sli or getting a x38/48 and getting 1 4870 card.
Not sure yet..

[leo_bsb]

I already decided and bought a Maximus Formula. I'll have two 4870 in crossfire.

[perkam]

I already decided and bought a Maximus Formula. I'll have two 4870 in crossfire.Would you like to tell us the main factor that made you choose the 4870 over the GTX 260?

Perkam

[Eddie3dfx]

I'm curious too, because it seems the 260 overclocked beats a 4870 overclocked.

[annihilat0r]

Both being at the same price I'd definitely go with GTX 260.

[rapid64k]

annihilator i was in the same boat when i began this thread just have read though it and you'll come to the same conclusion.

[Solus Corvus]

I'm curious too, because it seems the 260 overclocked beats a 4870 overclocked.
Oh really? Link?

[tc17]

Guys need some advice please i am 2 components short of completing my new build: asus 790i ultra e8500. i am about to buy a xfx gtx 260 xxx which is over clocked should i buy a 4870 instead? help me out guys just need a vid card and ram and im done.
All the nvidia cards don't even support DX10.1. Which in my opinion is enough to stay away from Nvidia cards.

[rapid64k]

Oh really? Link?

Here is the link as you can see it beats the 4870.>>>http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=14144

[rapid64k]

All the nvidia cards don't even support DX10.1. Which in my opinion is enough to stay away from Nvidia cards.

This is true nvidia said that 10.1 is not important now they want to release one nvidia really likes to milk us dont they.

[Solus Corvus]

Here is the link as you can see it beats the 4870.>>>http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=14144
I don't see an overclocked 4870 anywhere there.

[tiro_uspsss]

I don't see an overclocked 4870 anywhere there.

I bet if there is no OC'd 4870 in there, then there is no OC'd GTX260 ;) :rofl:

[Solus Corvus]

Oh, but there is.

[tiro_uspsss]

Oh, but there is.

:shocked: serious?? :rofl:
so the comparo was supposed to be OC'd 4870 vs OC'd GTX260, but u were given a link with stock 4870 vs OC'd GTX260?? :rofl: *sigh* its all too much for me :ROTF:

[leo_bsb]

Guys, I didn't read any review between an overclocked 4870 vs an overclocked 260GTX.
If you say the 260GTX beats the 4870 when both are OC we must admit that the 4870 didn't overclock so well or the 260GTX is hellof overclocker card. I don't think this is true.

So here are my points:
- I read all good news about the 4870 OCability and I'll watercool it (no heat issues for me);
- In every review I read the 4870 beats the 260GTX in almost every game, if we assume both OC well they should be at least at the same level;
- I'm used to Intel boards so crossfire is my only option with those;
- 4870 is DX10.1 (I know it is not a big deal but we should stay in the boat and try to not buy last generation when we have the new available;
- They cost the same.

I think both cards are really good and you can't go wrong buying one or another but the 4870 is a better buy at least for me.

[tiro_uspsss]

Guys, I didn't read any review between an overclocked 4870 vs an overclocked 260GTX.
If you say the 260GTX beats the 4870 when both are OC we must admit that the 4870 didn't overclock so well or the 260GTX is hellof overclocker card. I don't think this is true.

So here are my points:
- I read all good news about the 4870 OCability and I'll watercool it (no heat issues for me);
- In every review I read the 4870 beats the 260GTX in almost every game, if we assume both OC well they should be at least at the same level;
- I'm used to Intel boards so crossfire is my only option with those;
- 4870 is DX10.1 (I know it is not a big deal but we should stay in the boat and try to not buy last generation when we have the new available;
- They cost the same.

I think both cards are really good and you can't go wrong buying one or another but the 4870 is a better buy at least for me.

U dont have justify ur purchasing decisions man! its ur money :up:

[leo_bsb]

U dont have justify ur purchasing decisions man! its ur money :up:

Sure, thanks for that, I was starting to get worried :D

[tiro_uspsss]

Sure, thanks for that, I was starting to get worried :D

worried?! what for man? stuff 'em I say! :D :up:

[Yukon Trooper]

I don't see an overclocked 4870 anywhere there.
Doesn't matter. As soon as you attempt to overclock the HD4870, it will overheat, turn into a fireball monster, and burn you and your house to the ground in a pile of ash. :caution:

[leo_bsb]

Doesn't matter. As soon as you attempt to overclock the HD4870, it will overheat, turn into a fireball monster, and burn you and your house to the ground in a pile of ash. :caution:

hahahahahahah
nice try :up:

[Yukon Trooper]

hahahahahahah
nice try :up:
Hehe, I fail at being an Nvidia fanboi, which isn't such a bad thing. :p:

I'm getting a 1GB HD4870 as soon as they arrive. :up:

[tiro_uspsss]

Hehe, I fail at being an Nvidia fanboi, which isn't such a bad thing. :p:

I'm getting a 1GB HD4870 as soon as they arrive. :up:

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[purecain]

4870 at 830core 1000mem will eat a gtx260 all day.... how do you think those scores will look with another 80mhz on the core.....

i'm still testing mine but it will be fun watching the 260 owners eat benchmarking dust....(whatever that is)...

[Eddie3dfx]

Hmm.. I may go 4870 then if it's better than a 260 when both are overclocked. I am not partial by brand, just fps :)

[rapid64k]

Here is an overclocked verion of the 4870 although i think it is not for the mainstream but surly others must follow>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Diamond Releases Radeon HD 4870 XOC Unlocked Black Edition
Diamond Multimedia (diamondmm.com), a leading manufacturer of PC graphics cards, sound cards and communications products, launched today along with boutique system builder Smoothcreations, and Water cooling mavens, Danger Den the ATI Radeon™ HD 4870 XOC Black Edition graphics card. This card offers exquisite gaming capabilities combined with state of the art efficiency.

The HD 4870 is a smoking gun dual slot card, PCIE 2.0, with 512MB of DDR5 memory and a clock speed of 800 MHz. The memory speed is 1100 MHz and is designed with 800 stream processors. The HD 4870 provides plug-and-play ATI CrossFireX™ upgradeability with up to quad-GPU support. Continuing with ATI's Power Play and 55nm processing technology, this card is the fastest and efficient. "The Diamond Radeon HD 4870 XOC Black Edition was clocked to kick some ass". We didn't just want a fast card out in the market, we wanted the fastest card that could kick the living daylights and bust some performance records, say Mario Gastelum, Director of Product Development & Engineering. "we wanted a card that kicked the competitions teeth into the curb", and that's exactly what our engineers accomplished". "The firmware was custom designed to enable end users to go beyond the normal over clocked speeds and allow them to push their cards for higher performance via the catalyst control center." The GPU's custom firmware has been unlocked to push cards to GPU settings of up to 950 MHz and Memory of up 1200 MHz.

Update: Diamond has decided to make "these cards available in ecommerce in the next few days".
Diamond Teamed up with Premier Boutique system builder, SmoothCreations, to offer these powerful graphics cards to Smoothcreations legendary beauty and performance pc system platforms. "We wanted to complement beauty, artisan craftsmanship, and performance power to a gaming system, and Diamond helped us accomplish that", says Jim Saling, CEO of SmoothCreations. In collaboration with Danger Den, Smoothcreations will be offering a water cooled edition as well.

All Diamond video cards carry the Diamond guarantee of quality assurance. Unlike many cards that are simply first to market, Diamond carefully tests and retests every new model for its ratio of performance to reliability. Diamond is legendary in the PC video card business for its less than 1 percent return rate. Diamond cards use superior connectors, cables and components, as well as undergo more thorough testing for heat susceptibility and durability.

Availability
Diamond Multimedia's ATI Radeon HD 4870 XOC Black Edition will be available for purchase starting July 01, 2008 and will be available Exclusively at Premier Boutique System Builder Smoothcreations.

[wiak]

get a Intel X38 or X48 motherboard, and a Radeon HD 4870 and thank us later ;)